EF Education First’s Daniel Martinez has taken the Individual Time Trial title at the Colombian National Championships. Serika Guluma was crowned champion in the women’s competition earlier on the day.

The National Championships’ weekend started with an individual time trial of 28 kilometres between Cumaral and Villavicencio. Some of the country’s biggest stars, including ITT defending champion Egan Bernal (Team Sky) participated in the competition.

Martinez completed the route in 35 minutes and 41 seconds. Astana’s Miguel Angel Lopez got the silver medal by finishing the course 35 seconds slower than the champion, and Bernal stepped on the third position of the podium stopping the clock at one minute and 29 seconds from Martinez.

“The time trial was very difficult, it was very hot but fortunately I had the strength in my legs to finish it off,” said the rider after the competition. “Egan Bernal, Miguel Angel Lopez and all the other riders that took part in the competition are very respectable, I knew anything could happen. My condition has been growing and today is proof of that.”

The women elite competition was also held earlier on the day over the same course and there Boyaca’s rider Serika Guluma took the third national time trial title of her career. The rider finished the course in 45 minutes and 59 seconds.

Guluma beat Swapit Agolico’s Ana Cristina Sanabria by ten seconds and Antioquia’s Estefania Herrera by 23 seconds. “I am very happy,” said the rider. “It was a very demanding time trial and the competitions was very strong. But thank god everything developed according to plan. I would like to thank my family and my trainers.”

The Colombian rider had already conquered the Colombian ITT title in 2013 and 2014.

The young Colombian will lead a Grand Tour for the first time when the Giro starts in Bologna on May 6.

A race close to his heart, Bernal, 21, said: “The Giro is a race that I really, really like. I lived in Italy for three years, so I have a lot of friends there and I really like the Italian fans. I know the roads, I really like the Giro, and I want to do a good race there.”

Bernal on racing the 2019 Giro d’Italia

Bernal has more than earned the chance to lead a Grand Tour following a sensational 2018 – not that he saw such a successful year coming.

“I didn’t expect to have such a season,” he admitted. “When I arrived here, at the best team in the world, I didn’t expect to go to the Tour or win in California, a WorldTour race. I thought I would just learn and no more. I didn’t expect any results and then they came.

“My best moment was the Tour. I won California, a stage in Romandie, but the Tour is the most important race in cycling.”

And it was at the Tour where Bernal feels he learned the most in 2018, particularly from teammate Chris Froome.

“I would say that I learned the most from Froomey, in the Tour. I was next to him in the bus and I was always looking at him! At how he takes notes on paper, how he talks in the meetings on the bus, and I was almost always behind him in the race, so I was looking at what he did. I learned a lot from him. It was really good.”

Egan Bernal

It’s at home and I want to do a good race for the fans, for my family, and for Colombia. It’s incredible how the fans support us and it’s right at home.

The Colombian will start his season alongside Froome once again, as defending champion at his home race, the Tour Colombia.

“I’m really excited to do the Tour Colombia. It will be the first race with Froomey there so we want to do it well! It’s at home and I want to do a good race for the fans, for my family, and for Colombia. It’s incredible how the fans support us and it’s right at home. It will be good.”

Also lining up with Bernal and Froome in Medellin will be new signing Ivan Sosa – a close friend of Bernal’s.

He added: “Ivan is my friend. I shared a year with him in Androni and I won the Tour de l’Avenir with him. He was a really good teammate and to stay with him in this team is really special, because it was our dream to maybe someday be together in another team and now the dream has come true.

“It’s nice to stay with him in the same room and talk about other friends, Colombia, speak in Spanish, and he’s really excited to be here with Froomey, G, Kwiato etc. His first impressions of the team are really good. I am really happy for him and I am sure he will have a really good season.”

]]>Sky to bring involvement in cycling to a close after 2019 seasonhttps://eganbernal.com/2019/01/09/sky-to-bring-involvement-in-cycling-to-a-close-after-2019-season/
Wed, 09 Jan 2019 22:13:51 +0000https://eganbernal.com/?p=469

The decision will bring to a conclusion Sky’s ownership and sponsorship of Team Sky, which will continue to race under a different name if a new backer is secured to provide funding from the beginning of 2020. The team will compete as Team Sky for the last time throughout the 2019 road racing season, aiming to add to its total of 322 all-time wins including eight Grand Tours, 52 other stage races and 25 one-day races.

Sky kicked off its involvement in cycling in 2008 when it joined forces with British Cycling in a mission to increase participation at all levels and support elite success on the track and road. By the end of that partnership in 2016, nearly two million people had been inspired to cycle regularly and the Great Britain Cycling Team had achieved unprecedented medal success at three Olympic Games.

As part of Sky’s broader support for cycling, Team Sky took to the road in 2010 with the ambitious goal of winning the Tour de France with a British cyclist for the first time. This goal was achieved in 2012 with Sir Bradley Wiggins’ historic victory and Team Sky riders, backed by an outstanding support staff, have gone on to realise sustained success in the Tour de France and other major races. Chris Froome won the first of his four Tour titles in 2013 and was the first rider in more than 30 years to hold all three Grand Tour winners’ jerseys at the same time. Earlier this year, Geraint Thomas became the third Team Sky rider – as well as the third Briton – to win the Tour de France, representing the team’s sixth success at the race in seven years.

Sky’s commitment to cycling has been a core part of its Bigger Picture work, which focuses on the positive impact Sky can have in local communities and the wider world. The company’s most recent flagship campaign, Sky Ocean Rescue, is raising awareness about ocean health and encouraging businesses and the public to eliminate single-use plastic. Previously, Sky has worked with a range of partners in long-term initiatives including Sky Sports Living for Sport, which promoted sports participation in schools over a period of 10 years, and Sky Rainforest Rescue, an environmental campaign with WWF that ran for six years. Last year, Sky announced a new long-term partnership with the England & Wales Cricket Board. The partnership, which includes a commitment to grow participation among children and at the grass roots, will form a central part of Sky’s Bigger Picture activity in the coming years.

Sir Dave Brailsford

While Sky will be moving on at the end of next year, the Team is open minded about the future and the potential of working with a new partner, should the right opportunity present itself.

Sky’s decision to step back from cycling at the end of 2019 comes as the company begins a new phase in its development. 21st Century Fox, which owns a minority stake in Team Sky, has also confirmed that 2019 will be the last year of its involvement in cycling. While Sky and Fox will no longer be involved in cycling after next year, they and Team Sky’s management will give careful consideration to approaches from third parties with an interest in working with one of the world’s most successful sports teams.

Jeremy Darroch, Sky’s Group Chief Executive, said: “We came into cycling with the aim of using elite success to inspire greater participation at all levels. After more than a decade of involvement, I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved with Team Sky and our long-standing partners at British Cycling. But the end of 2019 is the right time for us to move on as we open a new chapter in Sky’s story and turn our focus to different initiatives including our Sky Ocean Rescue campaign.

“I’d like to pay a special tribute to Dave Brailsford and the immensely talented team of riders and staff he has assembled at Team Sky. What they have achieved together would have been beyond the dreams of many just a few years ago. We thank you for joining with us on this journey and look forward to enjoying our last season of racing together.”

Sir Dave Brailsford, Team Sky Principal, added: “The vision for Team Sky began with the ambition to build a clean, winning team around a core of British riders and staff. The team’s success has been the result of the talent, dedication and hard work of a remarkable group of people who have constantly challenged themselves to scale new heights of performance. None of this would have been possible without Sky. We are proud of the part we have played in Britain’s transformation into a cycling nation over the last decade.

“While Sky will be moving on at the end of next year, the Team is open minded about the future and the potential of working with a new partner, should the right opportunity present itself. For now, I would like to thank all Team Sky riders and staff, past and present – and above all the fans who have supported us on this adventure.

“We aren’t finished yet by any means. There is another exciting year of racing ahead of us and we will be doing everything we can to deliver more Team Sky success in 2019.”

Bernal, 21, has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the cycling ladder in his first year with Team Sky, emerging as one of the brightest young talents in the sport.

After winning the Colombia Oro y Paz and the Tour of California earlier in the year, he made his Tour de France debut in July, playing a key role in Geraint Thomas’ maillot jaune success.

Now, having signed a long-term deal with Team Sky, the talented climber is looking towards an even brighter future with the team.

“I’m very happy to sign a new contract with Team Sky,” he said.

“It feels like a new stage in my life. I know five years is a long time and that it’s not too common in cycling, but the team has been great for me. They offer me everything I could want and I’m excited about the future.

“I imagined my first year with the team would be different and I was nervous before I joined. But I found great people, a team that was ready to help me, and I enjoyed a good season. It was made easy for me.

“My ambition is to keep developing as a rider – to learn from and help the best and become a key member of the team for many years to come. For me there is no better place to do that than Team Sky.

“I’m really happy here because I have everything I could ask for. It’s a dream team and I don’t see myself anywhere else.”

Team Principal Sir Dave Brailsford welcomed the news of Bernal’s new deal, commenting: “This is an important moment in the development of the team. A five-year deal in cycling is exceptional, but Egan is an exceptional talent. I believe today’s announcement demonstrates three things.

“Firstly, it is the clearest signal of our belief in Egan as a rider, with the potential to win the biggest races in the world in the coming years. Age is no barrier to ability. Egan is part of the next generation at Team Sky, our next big leader for Grand Tours in the years to come, as we continue to build for a bigger and better future. He is a top talent who has already shown his mental and physical strength in recent months. He will only keep on improving.

“Second, it is testament to the staff and other riders at Team Sky who have helped him develop over the last year. This is his first year as a professional and we have always taken great pride at Team Sky on being a team who can nurture and develop young riders. We all know there is much more to come from Egan. He is a big part of the next generation of Team Sky, an incredible crop of young riders, alongside the likes of Tao Geoghegan-Hart, Pavel Sivakov and Gianni Moscon. We are all excited about their unique opportunity to continue to learn from the current generation of great champions – Froome, Thomas and Kwiatkowski – as they support them on the road over the coming years, with the goal of helping them to become champions themselves.

“Finally, it is a strong signal of intent from the team about the future. We are proud of what we have achieved together at Team Sky since our formation, but we have even greater ambitions to keep on improving and Egan will be at the very heart of that.”

The cycling world saw a lot of Egan Bernal in July as he played a crucial role in teammate Geraint Thomas’ Tour de France victory. But it might be a while before the young Colombian phenomenon from Team Sky is back at the front of a race.

In Saturday’s one-day Clasica San Sebastian, Bernal was caught in a bad crash with 20km to go when a rider at the front of the pack accidentally crossed wheels with another. The crash took down a dozen racers; Bernal was the most seriously hurt.

“I had just done extra feeds for the guys and had got back in the car when I heard on the race radio that there was a big crash with a Sky rider down,” says Iñigo Sarriegui, a team doctor for Sky who was at the race. Sarriegui quickly called one of the team directors, who was on the scene with Bernal. “From the description, it was clear it was a serious crash. The way the guys were shocked when I spoke to them, it was clear it wasn’t just a collarbone [break] or something like that.”

Bernal was put in a neck brace and evacuated to Donostia University Hospital, where Sarriegui met him and had a brief conversation before the staff put Bernal through a full-body CT scan. Bernal was bloody but alert, but Sarriegui said the young climber had no memory of the crash. That’s often a sign of brain trauma, and sure enough, tests showed Bernal had significant injuries. He had substantial damage to teeth in both jaws; there was a small nasal fracture; Bernal required stitches to put his upper lip back together; finally, scans showed a brain bleed, a kind of traumatic brain injury that occurs when a blood vessel in the brain breaks and causes localized bleeding. It can be life-threatening.

So it’s going to be a while before Bernal races a bike again. Despite that, the team is optimistic about his recovery timeline; both Sarriegui and Bernal’s coach, Xabier Artetxe, won’t even rule out a return to competition this year. The last major road races end in mid-October, which would be a remarkably fast recovery if it happens. It’s more likely he’ll return to competition in late January 2019 at the earliest.

“We’re not going to take any risks or put any pressure on him,” Artetxe says. “We have to take it where we are and go at a really low pace.”

On Bernal’s side is his age: He’s just 21 and has a long career ahead of him, provided he takes the time to properly recover from his injuries. “We can’t compromise his future,” Artetxe says.

It will be a difficult path.

Bernal was released from the hospital on Monday and spent the rest of the week in Spain, much of it at Artetxe’s house. But he flew home to Colombia on Friday. “He’s got an extensive support network at home and will be happier there with family,” Sarriegui says.

But Bernal will need a series of reconstructive dental surgeries to repair the damage to his face, and Sarriegui says that won’t even start for a few weeks as doctors wait for the swelling to subside. At the moment, they don’t even know the full extent of the damage. “Two teeth are completely gone, and he fractured more and quite likely some will be unsalvageable,” says Sarriegui, meaning Bernal will need bridgework and permanent implants.

For the moment, he’s off the bike for three weeks minimum while doctors monitor the brain bleed. Then, says Artetxe, he can gradually return to riding, first just with light efforts inside on a stationary trainer, eventually returning to the road when he’s ready. Bernal’s form this summer was stunning — he was at the front on the hardest climbs of the Tour de France and finished 15th overall even in support of Thomas — and he will lose much of that. A 2016 study in the Journal of Sports Sciences that Artetxe co-authored followed 10 young elite cyclists around Bernal’s age during a break from training and found key measures of fitness such as maximal oxygen uptake, maximum sustainable power output and red blood cell count all decreased significantly over a five-week period of inactivity. But that’s not a concern for now, team officials say; there will be time to rebuild Bernal’s fitness.

The immediate issue is healing the intracerebral bleeding and monitoring Bernal for symptoms such as headaches or changes to consciousness, like confusion. Then, the primary obstacle will be avoiding infection during the multiple dental surgeries he’ll need, which could take up to a year total and include structural and cosmetic reconstruction.

Among the things Bernal and Sky will need to watch is proper nutrition, Sarriegui says. Despite the injuries, Bernal is already eating soft foods and should be able to progress to more solid foods over the next month or so. But as the slightly built Bernal eases back into training, he has to eat well and not lose weight, which will be a challenge with a more limited diet. “He needs to be fueling well with the right nutrition to ensure he doesn’t suffer from complications,” Sarriegui says.

Beyond the nutrition, Artetxe says, the team wants to make sure Bernal is mentally ready to return to racing. “When a rider has a bad crash, you’re concerned about them staying confident on the bike in the bunch,” he says. “To me, the worst thing is that he’s had two bad crashes this year [he broke a collarbone and shoulder in March at the Volta a Catalunya], which he’s never had before.”

But Artetxe says that, in Bernal’s case, neither crash was caused by a deficit of handling skills or taking excessive risks. They were just bad luck. That should help him regain confidence.

And after the other crash, at least, Bernal recovered more quickly than the team expected. Originally, Sky figured his first race back would be mid-May’s Tour of California. Instead, he returned to competition just a month after the crash, at the late-April Tour of Romandie, where he won a stage and finished second overall. Then he won two stages and the overall at California, and the team decided he was ready for his first three-week Grand Tour, the Tour de France.

Artetxe says that Bernal will probably put the most pressure on himself to recover quickly and that it’s up to the team to throttle him back as necessary. “We know if everything goes well he’ll be a really good rider and a leader in the future,” Artetxe says. “He loves to ride a bike; he loves training. And we want him to come to the job from that place; we want him to continue like he’s just playing with his bike.”

The team will be showing their support for Sky Ocean Rescue throughout the Tour, with a new kit featuring orcas on the back of the jersey to highlight the campaign.

Froome, the reigning Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana and Giro d’Italia champion, is aiming to join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain as a five-time Tour France winner, while also attempting to complete the Giro-Tour double.

He said: “The last twelve months have been the hardest but also the most incredible of my career. I’ve never started the Tour de France after riding the Giro d’Italia and it has meant a completely different approach to my season. But I learnt a lot from riding the Vuelta straight after the Tour de France last year which has given me confidence coming into this race.

“I want to make history with a fifth Tour de France win and fourth consecutive Grand Tour. I am under no illusion about the challenge, but I am feeling ready and I couldn’t ask for a better team to support me.

“This is the biggest race in the year, in front of the most passionate cycling fans, and I can’t wait to get racing.”

Team Principal Sir Dave Brailsford said: “We go into the Tour with a lot of confidence. Chris is in great shape after the Giro – mentally and physically – and the whole team want to build on the success we had in Italy. Chris is already one of the greats of the sport. This is a chance for him to cement that reputation even further.

“We have chosen the Team to support him that we believe is best equipped to meet the demands of this year’s race. It is a team of real versatility and one that balances youth with experience. We are really proud that Gianni Moscon and Egan Bernal will be making their Tour de France debuts with us. They are both very talented bike riders and will have a lot to offer. It is also fantastic that Luke Rowe will be riding the Tour again as our road captain after his serious accident last summer. It is testament to his ability and determination that he has come back so strongly.

“These are very special weeks every year. We love riding in France and we are all looking forward to starting racing.”

Chris Froome – British – age 33

Arriving at the Tour holding all three Grand Tour titles, Froome will look to create yet more history as he seeks to win a fifth Tour de France, and a fourth Grand Tour in a row. Victory at the Giro d’Italia in May saw Froome further cement his standing as one of the greatest stage racers in the history of the sport. With a strong team supporting him once again, the Brit will be hoping to add to the 59 days he has already spent in Tour de France yellow.

Egan Bernal – Colombian – age 21

Making his Tour de France debut in his first season as a professional, the young Colombian has wasted little time in marking himself out as one of the hottest prospects in the sport. Bernal has claimed overall victories at both the Tour of California and Colombia Oro y Paz, in addition to second place at the Tour de Romandie and a national time trial title. A prodigious climbing talent, he will provide key backup in the high mountains.

Jonathan Castroviejo – Spanish – age 31

A strong all-round presence, Castroviejo starts his first Tour de France for Team Sky fresh from claiming a fourth Spanish time trial title. With his TT expertise likely to prove invaluable on the stage three team time trial, Castroviejo is also a strong climber, comfortable setting a tempo on the front in the mountains. Having raced all three Grand Tours, he adds plenty of experience to the line-up.

Michal Kwiatkowski – Polish – age 28

One of the strongest and classiest bike riders on the planet, Kwiatkowski arrives at the Tour fresh from claiming a national title on the road. The Pole was a revelation at the 2017 Tour de France, as he worked tirelessly to set up Chris Froome for victory. A strong presence both on the flat, in time trials, and on the climbs, the 2014 world road race champion is an incredible asset to the team, having also won the Volta ao Algarve and Tirreno-Adriatico earlier this year.

Gianni Moscon – Italian – age 24

A Tour de France debut for Gianni Moscon represents the next step in the Italian’s burgeoning career. After helping Froome to victory at the Vuelta a Espana last season, Moscon now gets his chance at the Tour. The Italian time trial champion also has a top-five finish at Paris-Roubaix to his name and, coupled with impressive climbing skills, he is a superb all-round bike rider.

Luke Rowe – British – age 28

An ever-present in Chris Froome’s last three Tour de France victories, Luke Rowe has carved out a reputation as one of the best wingmen in the sport. The Welshman lives for the rough and tumble of the Classics and crosswind racing, but is equally at home setting a tempo on the front of the race in the mountains. A decorated road captain, Rowe has grown up with Team Sky and last year battled back from multiple leg fractures, showing his determination on and off the bike.

Wout Poels – Dutch – age 30

The Dutchman has proved to be Chris Froome’s rock time and again in the high mountains, playing a pivotal role in no less than four of the Brit’s Grand Tour victories. Most recently in action together at the Giro d’Italia, Poels is a climber of the highest order and has claimed victory at Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Volta a la Valenciana in his own right since joining Team Sky in 2015.

Geraint Thomas – Great Britain – age 32

One of the most versatile riders in the pro peloton, Geraint Thomas has transformed himself from track Gold medallist, to Classics star, to stage racer extraordinaire. The Welshman first rode the Tour in 2007 and is climbing better than ever, as witnessed by his recent victory at the Criterium du Dauphine. After a spell in the yellow jersey last year, Thomas will start the 2018 race as a protected rider alongside Chris Froome.

Egan Bernal sealed the inaugural Colombia Oro y Paz title with a stunning late attack on the final day in Manizales.

The 21 year old hit out three kilometres from the finish and, helped by the brilliant Tao Geoghegan Hart and Sebastian Henao, stayed clear of the chasing favourites to seal the title by just nine seconds.

Having crossed the line second on the stage, behind Dayer Quintana (Movistar), Bernal faced an agonising wait to see if he had done enough – and he wasn’t disappointed.

Rigoberto Uran (EF Education First-Drapac) led the favourites home 11 seconds later to confirm Bernal’s victory. Sergio Henao finished with Uran and fellow contender Nairo Quintana (Movistar) to wrap up fourth overall, while Bernal also claimed the young rider’s jersey.

Speaking before stepping onto the podium Bernal said: “I felt very good all day long and I kept telling the guys: ‘I feel good, I feel good!’ but I had to keep calm and wait for the tougher last kilometres.

“The last three or four kilometres were tougher and I decided to attack. I was fourth on GC so I didn’t have a lot to lose but I had everything to gain.

“I tried, I gave everything and finally I got a little advantage. I had two teammates in the break and they did an amazing job! I was telling Tao: ‘Tao, Tao, it’s so hard, you have to slow down!’ He helped me almost until the last metres.

“The most important thing was to win the GC and not the stage. Of course, it would have been better to win both but the idea was to win the GC. So, my teammates waited for my attack. That’s why I feel so proud and happy with this team. They supported me and did incredible work.”

Bernal arrived at the race on the back of winning the Colombian time trial championship as well as riding to an impressive fifth overall at the Tour Down Under.

“I felt very good,” he added. “The Tour Down Under was warm and fast and ended well. Then the national time trial title gave me a bit of confidence. I also felt good during the road race that Sergio won. I think that everything was going in the right direction. I came here with the idea to do the best I could.”

And Egan has relished racing on home roads: “This race gave me the opportunity to race in my country, in my homeland, in front of my fellow Colombians. It’s an honour. This race is very positive for the country and I hope that more teams will come in the future.”

The 187.8km stage played out in surprising circumstances, with a large group of more than 30 riders going clear in the early stages.

Both Geoghegan Hart and Sebastian Henao were able to make the move and that would later prove crucial for Bernal.

The gap to the leaders remained at around three minutes for the majority of the final 50km but as the final climb began to take its toll the gap started to fall.

Rodrigo Contreras (EPM) pushed clear on the lower slopes of the climb and looked likely to take the honours on the final day but he faded at the last, paving the way for D. Quintana to take the win.

Behind both Geoghegan Hart and Henao had linked up with Bernal after his attack and the pair paced the young Colombian to perfection.